Why Must Any Complete Education Include the Study of a Foreign Language?

The Carole D. Fredericks Foundation seeks to reinforce the advantages of learning a second or third language. Choosing selectively from among
the significant advantages to learning French, we point out that students will demonstrate increased global understanding, improve chances of
entry into college or graduate school, and improve employment potential. Furthermore, students will demonstrate sharpened cognitive and life
skills, increase understanding of themselves and their own culture, and show an increase in native language ability. Students also tend to
demonstrate an increased appreciation of international literature, music, and film as a result of exposure to these lessons.

This quote sums it up for many life long learners of French: “France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older—intelligence and good manners.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Why Is Learning French Important?

The following resources provide additional reasons to learn French:

“I wanted to travel all over the world and French is the official language in 33 countries and the only official language on 5 of the world’s continents besides English.” French Blog by Chandrahttp://www.transparent.com/french

“French is the 3rd most frequently spoken non-English language in US homes (5) and the second most commonly taught foreign language in the United States (after Spanish)”.Why learn French? (About.com)http://french.about.com/od/whylearnfrench/

Largely as a result of the Norman (French) conquest of the Anglo-Saxons (English) in 1066, more than 25% of English words are of French origin.
Can you say "SAT preparation"? (BTW, "preparation" is one of those French words, as is just about every other word you know that ends in -tion.) Reasons to Study Frenchspartans.sstx.org/~cwarlick/reasons.html

“One example of the importance of French can be seen in a recent listing of international jobs (8/25/08) distributed by the US State Department:
78 required or preferred French, 27 a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), 17 Spanish, 10 Arabic, 5 Russian, and 3 German, 1 Chinese.”French The Most Practical Foreign Language
Richard Shryock
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)http://www.holland.wnyric.org/cms/lib/NY19000531/Centricity/Domain/139/why_study_french.doc

“French is the language of many great literary masterpieces. People around the world are familiar with Les Misérables,
The Three Musketeers, 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Little Prince and The Stranger. In fact, France has won more Nobel prizes
for literature than any other country. The French are also admired for their great philosophers, such as Descartes, Pascal,
Rousseau, Voltaire, Camus and Sartre. When you read French, you can enjoy these works and authors in the original language.”Reasons to Study French (written by the Education Office of the French Cultural Services). http://fll.chass.ncsu.edu/french/misc/reasons.php

Carole Fredericks was a big Black woman with a big, rich voice. At 20 she moved from Springfield, Massachusetts to San Francico, CA. Seven years there transformed
her into an experienced performer but exposure in Bay area clubs and occasional session work was not enough. She wanted to sing to the world, and she wanted the
world to hear her. Ambitious and fearless, she moved again. This time, however, she was not simply leaving home; she was leaving the United States of America.
And in 1979, in a time-honored tradition featuring Josephine Baker in the Twenties, Richard Wright in the
Forties and James Baldwin in the Fifties, she moved to Paris. The City of Lights became her home for twenty-two and her final resting place.

Although Ms Fredericks left her mother country, she never left her roots. Steeped in the fertile music traditions of her parents, striving professionals
from the Carolinas and the West Indies, she emerged as a powerful singer who wove the passionate threads of blues, jazz, gospel and R&B into a uniquely
French tapestry. Johnny Hallyday, Mylène Farmer, Patricia Kaas and other European stars hired her for background vocals in concerts and session work.
In 1990, she joined Jean-Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones to form the phenomenally successful trio, Fredericks Goldman Jones. For ten years they
performed in front of sold-out crowds throughout Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Japan. During this period Fredericks also released two popular
solo albums, Springfield (1996), an album in English dedicated to her mother and her hometown, and Couleurs et parfums (1999), a tour de force of
cultural mixes including Wolof, the national language of Senegal, a country where she always, instantly felt at home.

Ms. Fredericks had limited exposure to French in the United States, and yet she mastered the language, was a revered celebrity and a humanitarian
in her adopted country. Carole Fredericks is an excellent role model for foreign language students in general and students of French in particular.
Her life experiences highlight a strong work ethic, self determination, and risk taking, qualities which might motivate students to follow her good
example as they study French.

The following questions present some of the issues our instructional materials seek to address:

Q - “I am an ‘A’ student in AP Honors French class but I don’t feel
confident when it comes to speaking the language.”

A - Students are intrigued by the fact that Carole was able to immerse
herself in the target language at a later stage in her life and become
fluent within a short time of her arrival in France. International
students who may know her are often convinced that she was a native
speaker and are pleasantly surprised to learn of her Springfield roots. By
example, Carole’s unique inspirational story, coupled with her engaging
and meaningful music, encourages students to learn.

Q - “We use an older edition textbook that presents a dated view of
France. How can I introduce my students to the contemporary lifestyle of
the country?” And, I am always trying to find music artists from the
francophone world who are Black to use in my class. Can these materials
help?”

A - YES and yes. As an African American woman who was a contemporary
artist Carole is an icon in French music today. She is an excellent role
model for anyone studying French. At the time of her death, Ms. Fredericks
spoke fluent French and was a headliner act in Europe and Africa.

Carole Fredericks’ career traversed three continents, North America,
Europe and Africa, to create a cultural triangle. Her international
success and music are a celebration of each culture that influenced her.

The Foundation employs the musical legacy of Carole Fredericks and the music group Fredericks Goldman Jones as the central resource of authentic
French language music and music videos for the instructional materials. The Carole D. Fredericks Foundation, Inc. will continue to publish the
Tant Qu’Elle Chante, Elle Vit! (2003) and Couleurs et parfums (2005) language units. The music videos present a unique look at French society
today and include a multi-ethnic representation of the population. The song lyrics highlight broad social issues. These materials present
cross-curricular teaching opportunities, a multicultural approach to language learning and rich content literacy.

TARATATA

LES ENFOIRES

(Singers, actors, celebrities and sports figures make up the company of Les enfoirés. Students will learn about the artists and the history of
Restos du Cœur, a humanitarian effort to eliminate hunger in France. Carole Fredericks was an ardent supporter and member of Les enfoirés for 9 years.
Jean Jacques Goldman wrote the anthem for Restos du Cœur and serves as Musical Director. Michael Jones is an annual guest artist. Enfoirépedia - Encyclopaedia of the Enfoirés
From now on, you can find the answers to all the questions you might have about the artists, the songs, and the shows in the Enfoirépedia! Find out what songs a favorite artist sang ? How many times did that artist participate in the concerts? Was this song already sung at an Enfoirés concert? English and French website text.http://www.lesenfoires.org/

Carole Fredericks was featured on two albums for children written by Alan SIMON, Le Petit Arthur (1995) Since 1998 "Le Petit Arthur" serves as official teaching material for the French language in Denmark. Les Enfants du Futur (1996) http://www.excalibur-show.com/en/show/alan-simon.html

Carole Fredericks, actress!

Did you know that in addition to being a singer, Carole Fredericks had a
successful career as an actress in French films? Take a look for yourself.
Here is a clip of Carole from the film 'Roselyne et les lions' by
director, Jean-Jacques Beineix.

Which do you think she preferred - acting or singing? 'Vous préférez
chanter ou jouer la comédie ?' Carole responds to the question in this clip
from 'An Interview with Carole Fredericks'.

Yuri BUENAVENTURA

Chavalier de SAINT-GEORGES aka Le Mozart Noir (1745 – 1799)
Violin Concerts written by Saint-George recorded by Takako Nishizaki, violin and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Helmut Müller-Brühl (2000)
NAXOS THE 18TH CENTURY CONCERTOhttp://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/page1.html

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